Method of drying sugar.



(No Model.)

' Patented Nov. [2, 1901., F. MAHOUDEAU.

METHOD OF DRYING SUGAR.

(Application filed Tan. 4, 1901.)

2 12; L2 6 f 51: B

. 4 I WITNESSES: 53 55i-ii iilii fifi kraz INVENTOR ATTORNEY was NORRIS PETERS co" wmoumu. 'wnswumomp. c.

V UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

FREDERIO MAHOUDEAU, OF NEW YORK, N. Y., ASSIGNOR TO THE AMERICAN SUGAR REFINING COMPANY, OF NEW YORK, N. Y., A CORPORATION OF NEW JERSEY. 7

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent N 0. 686,677, dated November 12, 1901.

7 Application filed January 4, 1901. Serial No. 42,141. (No specimens.) 7

T at whom it may elm/087%! The object of my invention is to rapidly Beitknownthatl,FREDERIO MAHOUDEAU, and efiectually eliminate the moisture from a citizen of the Republic of France, residing at sugar or other bodies. NewYork city, countyand State of New York, The accompanying drawings will serve to have invented a Method of Drying Sugar, of illustrate my invention. I

which the following is a specification. Figure 1 is a longitudinal section and'ele- Myinvention relates to a method of drying vation of the furnace-chamber. This view sugars, although it may be used for drying also shows an exhaust-blower in elevation. other bodies, and to apparatus for carrying Fig, 2 is an end view taken on the line X X to said method into effect. of Fig. 1 looking from the right.

The apparatus and method of operation In the drawings, A represents the furnaceheretofore made use of for drying sugar and chamber, which I prefer to construct as a similar bodies involved the introduction of long narrow chamber rectangular in section. such bodies into the lower portion of a fur- Thetop of the chamber, however, may be :15 mace-chamber having its source of heat at the arched or given any other suitable shape.

- bottom, and hence into the hottest portion of Arranged within the chamberon suitable such chamber; then after moving the body bracket-supports B are the horizontal trackthrough the hottest portion of the chamber ways 0 0'. These trackways occupy horizonmoving it upward at the rear of the chamber tal planes throughout the greater portion of 20 and causing it to traverse a path of lower their length, and at the rear end of the fur- 7o temperature at the top of the furnace-chamtime have their ends arranged concentrically her, and so out of the chamber. This practice for a portion of their length. The rear end has been found objectionable owing to the of the trackway O is turned downward at C fact that the slowly-moving highly-heated and the rear end of the trackway 0 turned 25 currents of air at the bottom of the furnaceupward, as at G a space being left between chamber do not readily separate the moisture the trackways. Mounted at opposite ends of from the bodies to be dried and that such the chamber are the shafts D, carrying at moisture as is separated in rising deposits eachend thesprocket-WheelsEE, over which upon or is reabsorbed by the bodies travers- ,is arranged the endless link chain F. The 0 ing the top of the furnace-chamber and movlink chain F is provided upon its outer sur- 8o ingtoward the outlet of the furnace-chamber. face with the projections G. The sprocket- To overcome the objections stated, I have dewheels E at the rear of the furnace carry on vised a construction and method of operation the outer side of their periphery projecting which involves the introduction of the bodies hook portions H. It will be observed from 5 to be dried into the upper portion of the furthe drawings that the link chain F has a nace-chamberandto traverse vertical zones of movement parallel with the tr'ackways O O gradually-increasing temperature and then and that in the rotation of the sprocketdescend to the lower portion of the furnacewheels E the projecting hook portions H are chamber and traverse zones of gradually-decarried when in the highest position slightly 6 creasing temperature. The furnace-chamber above the top of the link chain. is arranged to have created within it at its I represents baskets by which the material upper part rapidly-moving air-currents of to be dried is carried through the furnacemoderate but gradually-increasing temperachamber. The baskets consist of a body porture from without inward, which practice has tion J, preferably formed of perforated metal 5 shown to be the best means of quickly reor wire-netting J. Projecting upward from 5 moving the moisture, and at the bottom the basket are arms K, carrying horizontal slowly;movingair-currents of high butgradubearings L, on which wheels-M are loosely ally-decreasing temperature, which serve to mounted. efiect the final drying of the bodies passing N N represent openings in the front of the 50 through the furnace. furnace-chamber, through which the material I00 is introduced into the furnace-chamber and withdrawn therefrom, and O a source of heat in the bottom of the furnace-chamber. This source of heat I prefer to consist of a steamcoil arranged as shown-that is, nearer to the front end of the furnace-chamber than to the rear end-although I may extend the steamcoil nearer to the rear end of the chamber than is shown in the drawings.

P represents an exhaust-blower having its draft-pipe Q connected to the interior of the furnace-chamber at the top and rear end. By this arrangement of heat and draft apparatus I am enabled to obtain a circulation of air substantially in the direction indicated by the arrows R and to produce within the furnace along its upper part rapidly-moving air-currents of gradually-increasin g temperature and along the bottom part slowly-moving air-currents of gradually-decreasing temperature.

In operating the furnace the baskets containing the material to be dried are introduced through the opening N, with the wheels M upon the trackway G. The carriage is pushed forward until the projections G upon the links F impinge upon the bearings L, on which the wheels M are mounted, thus moving the carriages forward along the trackway C until the wheels E are reached. At this point the hook projections H move under the bearings L and support the carriage and basket as they are shifted downward to the trackway 0'. Here the projections G on the link chain again impinge upon the bearings L from behind and carry the carriages and haskets along the trackway C until the opening N of the furnace-chamber is reached. At this point the carriage and basket may be removed from the trackway C or diverted along an outside trackway. (Not shown.)

Having thus described my invention, I claim- 1. The herein-described method of drying sugar, which consists in subjecting said body first to the action of moving air-currents of grad ually-increasin g temperature, then to the action of moving air-currents of decreasing temperature.

2. The herein-described method of drying sugar, which consists in subjecting said body first to the action of moving air-currents of gradually-increasin g temperature, then to the action of moving air-currents of decreasing temperature but of relatively higher temperature than the first-named air-currents.

3. The herein-described method of drying sugar, which consists in transporting said body first through zones of grad nally-increasing temperature, then through zones of gradually-decreasin g tem perature,and while passing through said zones to the action of moving heated air-currents.

In testimony whereof I afiix my signature in the presence of two witnesses.

FREDERIC MAIIOUDEAU.

Witnesses:

J. E. PEARSON, J. A. CAVANAGH. 

